Great Mosquito news!
Discussion
Kermit "John Wayne" Weeks is a right case of biting off more than you can chew. He originally based the Mossie at Booker before it went to the US and was flown there. It's still in good nick AFAIK, so it may not be a massive job.
Wish he'd bloody get on with our old Lanc too, KB976 is still sitting in a bunch of shipping containers rotting away...
Wish he'd bloody get on with our old Lanc too, KB976 is still sitting in a bunch of shipping containers rotting away...
RoverP6B said:
It's still in good nick AFAIK, so it may not be a massive job.
Well, it's 100% complete, so not a massive job in that he needs to go scouring the planet for hard to find missing item like the other projects.....but....it's essentially needs a full strip down and rebuild, new fabric, systems overhauled etc.,etc.....so, only probably 3 years and £2-3m to do.RoverP6B said:
Wish he'd bloody get on with our old Lanc too, KB976 is still sitting in a bunch of shipping containers rotting away...
RoverP6B said:
Kermit "John Wayne" Weeks is a right case of biting off more than you can chew. He originally based the Mossie at Booker before it went to the US and was flown there. It's still in good nick AFAIK, so it may not be a massive job.
Wish he'd bloody get on with our old Lanc too, KB976 is still sitting in a bunch of shipping containers rotting away...
There is a 3 part video of him walking you around and inside his Mosquito on YouTube.Wish he'd bloody get on with our old Lanc too, KB976 is still sitting in a bunch of shipping containers rotting away...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2M21nlw0w
RoverP6B said:
I still wish he'd left the Lanc and Mossie in the UK where they belong... they'd both be flying by now!
The Mossie maybe.....but, bear in mind that at that time RS712 was for sale for £100k....(!!!!!) it had no interest at all.......and just before that, Doug Arnold had put up for sale RS709 (there was a small period in the UK in the early 80's that we had 3 airworthy Mossies) and again, no one was interested, until the USAFM stepped in and bought RS709 with the intention of permanently grounding it.The Lanc wouldn't have been flying, as once CC dies in that Spitfire crash there was no one else with the money to consider taking that on, so no, you're living in fantasy land if you think that would be flying had Weeks not bought the sorry remains of KB.
We still might yet get to see 3 x Lancs in the air together one day though if Just Jane flies. The CWH have declared their intention a few weeks back, that they would be prepared to bring their Lanc back over to the UK again, if JJ becomes airworthy.
And there another Lanc in Canada that is being worked on with a view to possibly being made airworthy again, but that's not a given due to time and costs.
There were other bidders for RS712. Likewise, before Kermit took it, others were interested in KB976 - a replacement centre section had already been sourced. I'm aware of the RS709 story - rather sad, considering it had just been rebuilt - another ex-Hamish Mahaddie/"633 Squadron" aircraft. I've an idea Willy Roberts was after it to partner '712 before the political machinations of Tayside Regional Council forced the closure of the Strathallan museum. The ex-Staverton "Skyfame" aircraft (now at Duxford) was of course damaged in a landing accident and was only properly restored (for static display) many years later. Whether it could ever fly again, I have my doubts - there was a phenomenon with Mosquitos known as 'shake' which was induced by crash-landings, and even if the aircraft was rebuildable, it could never fly again...
RoverP6B said:
There were other bidders for RS712. Likewise, before Kermit took it, others were interested in KB976 - a replacement centre section had already been sourced. I'm aware of the RS709 story - rather sad, considering it had just been rebuilt - another ex-Hamish Mahaddie/"633 Squadron" aircraft. I've an idea Willy Roberts was after it to partner '712 before the political machinations of Tayside Regional Council forced the closure of the Strathallan museum. The ex-Staverton "Skyfame" aircraft (now at Duxford) was of course damaged in a landing accident and was only properly restored (for static display) many years later. Whether it could ever fly again, I have my doubts - there was a phenomenon with Mosquitos known as 'shake' which was induced by crash-landings, and even if the aircraft was rebuildable, it could never fly again...
The one the 'nation' shouldn't have let go was T.3 TW117.... 
That was by far the best candidate for a return to the air as it had been flown into RAFM preservation in the late 60's after 633 Sqn filming and then kept inside before being swapped to the Norwigians who should have been given one of the 'static' B.35's instead IMHO...or indeed the other T.3 from the IWM that was sold off.
TW117 could have been then donated to the BBMF instead after the sad demise of RR299.
Hey ho.....
Not quite so exciting Mosquito news, but still good.
Sorting out my loft and I discovered my Faber paperback edition of Mosquito, by Sharp and Bowyer.
Brilliant book and in very good condition. Stain in the bottom right hand side of the back cover. Free to anyone who can pick it up from Burgess Hill although a donation to Sally Ann the next time you see one collecting might be nice before Xmas.
First PM received gets it.
Sorting out my loft and I discovered my Faber paperback edition of Mosquito, by Sharp and Bowyer.
Brilliant book and in very good condition. Stain in the bottom right hand side of the back cover. Free to anyone who can pick it up from Burgess Hill although a donation to Sally Ann the next time you see one collecting might be nice before Xmas.
First PM received gets it.
Seems a suitable thread to revive as it's titled 'Great Mosquito news'....
Reports from NZ are saying that the first flight of restored Mosquito T3, TV959 (ex-IWM Lambeth, and ex-TFC) now owned by Flying Heritage Collection, might take place as soon as Aug/Sept this year.....with crating and shipping to the USA over the winter. If so, that will be 3 airworthy Mossies in the world, and all of them in North America.
It's looking rather splendid in this recent photo.
The next one down the AvSpecs Mossie 'production line', FB.VI PZ474 for US collector Rod Lewis, could also be flying by 2018!!
Reports from NZ are saying that the first flight of restored Mosquito T3, TV959 (ex-IWM Lambeth, and ex-TFC) now owned by Flying Heritage Collection, might take place as soon as Aug/Sept this year.....with crating and shipping to the USA over the winter. If so, that will be 3 airworthy Mossies in the world, and all of them in North America.
It's looking rather splendid in this recent photo.
The next one down the AvSpecs Mossie 'production line', FB.VI PZ474 for US collector Rod Lewis, could also be flying by 2018!!
First taxi run done yesterday......getting close to the point of having 3 x airworthy Mossie's in the world 
https://www.facebook.com/Avspecs/videos/1328657340...
https://www.facebook.com/Avspecs/videos/1328657340...
2nd test flight from 29th Sept - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr-28-1cRl8
3rd test flight from 4th October - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZEfVFT4__Y
3rd test flight from 4th October - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZEfVFT4__Y
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